


i was looking for a breath of life

by infinitefire



Category: Greek and Roman Mythology, The Worst Witch (TV 2017)
Genre: Angst, Character Death, F/F, HB is the goddess Hecate AU, I have no idea what happened, everything is angsty except the ending, i just had a Thought and then i started writing and things did not go as expected
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-16
Updated: 2018-08-16
Packaged: 2019-06-28 07:34:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15702720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/infinitefire/pseuds/infinitefire
Summary: She should have known not to meddle with mortals. She should have known it never ends well.But for all her immense power and control, Hecate could not resist Pippa Pentangle.





	i was looking for a breath of life

**Author's Note:**

  * For [twtd](https://archiveofourown.org/users/twtd/gifts).



> based on a tumblr post by @twtd11 about hb being the goddess hecate in human form. this is probably not what anyone expected or even wanted, and probably at least a little inaccurate about greek mythology, but i haven't finished writing anything in a while so here have all this angst that suddenly turns to humor at the end somehow (i don't even know). sorry about any ooc-ness!
> 
> title is from "breath of life" by florence + the machine. thanks to my good friend star for beta-ing.

She should have known not to meddle with mortals. She should have known it could never end well.

 

But for all her immense power and control, Hecate could not resist Pippa Pentangle. And thus she found herself on the earth, away from the majestic heights of Olympus and the dark depths of Hades. She befriended the young witch, bright and pink and full of light and every good thing Hecate was not; feigned a lack of knowledge about the Craft which she defined as much as it defined her; kept herself reserved so as not to reveal herself and scare Pippa away.

 

Inevitably, Hecate fell in love. She should have known it would happen. Deep down, she supposed she did know. It didn’t make the prospect any less terrifying.

 

Because she was a goddess, immortal, and Pippa was a woman. A young woman with a full life ahead of her, a life she deserved to live unburdened by divine intervention.

 

When the gods interfere with mortals’ lives, nothing good ever comes of it. She should have remembered that before she did what she did, before it was too late, before she was in love and Pippa was falling too and the realization came crashing down on Hecate that this would only end in tragedy.

 

Pippa would find out, sooner or later, who she really was, that her name being the same as the goddess’s was no coincidence, and most likely, Pippa would hate Hecate for lying, hate Hecate for ruining her perfectly normal life, hate Hecate for thinking she could just burst into the mortal world and take love from whomever she wanted. Or worse, Pippa would love Hecate more for her godly status, would worship her, see her as inherently greater. No, Pippa deserved a love who was her equal, who did not constantly make her feel like she was not enough for them like Hecate obviously did—why else would Pippa be so intent on outdoing her at every opportunity? She deserved someone who could love her with their heart and soul and their entire life, someone for whom Pippa could be their one and only love, someone who would not live to love a thousand others in the very same way. 

 

Pippa deserved so much better, and selfishly, Hecate did not think she could bear the heartbreak of watching her die.

 

The night before their broomstick waterskiing display, Hecate attempted to return to the realm of the gods, whereupon fair Aphrodite claimed her reasons for leaving Pippa were utterly ridiculous and insisted she return to the mortal world. Nor was she welcomed in the realm of Hades, where her friend and companion Persephone sided with the love goddess: “Like Aphrodite, I have been forced into an unwanted marriage, and therefore any chance I may have at true love is forever tainted. Your heart is still pure, dear Hecate, and your future with Pippa still has hope. Do not waste this chance.”

 

And so Hecate returned to the earth, having no other place to go. Still guided by stubbornness, though, she neglected to seek out Pippa. Instead she found herself a job, and inadvertently made herself a home, at Cackle’s Academy, where she could instruct young witches in the Craft, guiding children who were at their crossroads. She began to block her immortality out of her mind, though it still loomed over her more often than not, and she lived peacefully, only once forced to confront her true nature when she revealed herself to Ada.

 

That is, until a certain Mildred Hubble entered the picture.

 

Because of course, that wretched girl would be competing in the Spelling Bee the same year they were up against Pentangle’s Academy, the same year Hecate had to see Pippa again, and of course, Mildred Hubble would get along splendidly with Miss Pentangle, who, of course, would tell Mildred all about their past over a stolen doughnut. And naturally, Mildred would respond by forcing them to talk to one another. The girl was not unlike Hecate in her tendency to meddle in things that were not her business, including Pippa Pentangle’s life, yet so unlike Hecate in that she never seemed to avoid her problems like Hecate had done for thirty years.

 

Hecate supposed she at least owed Pippa an explanation—even if it was not the full truth.

 

Slowly, they began to build back something of what they once had, and though the fears all came rushing back to Hecate, so did the love. And the love was too overwhelming this time.

 

Hecate and Pippa became lovers, and the weight of being a goddess grew heavier.

 

Then came the ice. And Hecate, immortal goddess of witchcraft, was so, so near being trapped in her own personal Tartarus.

 

She told Pippa the truth. Begged her not to see her any differently. Pippa merely kissed her and assured her, “You’ll always be my Hiccup.”

 

As Hecate continued along her eternal lifespan, Pippa aged. Everyone around her aged.

 

She should have known it was a bad idea. She should have learned better from the mistakes of rosy-fingered Dawn and brokenhearted Orpheus.

 

But seeing Ada Cackle’s soul leave her body before her very eyes with a whisper of "come visit," slipping a coin between her friend's lips and losing her to the vast eternity of Asphodel, broke something in Hecate. She had already lost thirty precious years with Pippa due to her own obstinacy. She could not bear to let her love depart so soon to a world where she could see and hear, but never touch her. 

 

Hecate  _ begged  _ the other gods. She begged Hebe for Pippa’s eternal youth, but Aphrodite, of the belief that Hecate must face the consequences of wasting so much time she could have had with Pippa, charmed Hebe into refusing despite her forgiving nature. Hecate begged Hades for the chance he gave Orpheus to save Eurydice once Pippa passed, but Hades did not listen. She begged her friend Persephone to try and persuade her husband, but Persephone simply laughed softly and gently said, “Aren’t you forgetting something?”

 

“This is not a laughing matter, Persephone!”

 

Persephone rolled her eyes with a slight smile and whispered in Hecate’s ear, “You’re the goddess of necromancy.”

**Author's Note:**

> \- i'm like 99% sure aphrodite's words to hecate were somewhere along the lines of "go back and get your girl you useless lesbian"  
> \- definitely suggesting that aphrodite seduced hebe at the end  
> \- i don't know the specifics of the goddess hecate's powers so i'll just leave the ending there
> 
> if you have anything to say please leave a comment !!


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